Taste this!

Gluten-Free Rice Crispy Treats

Old School Rice Crispy Treat Goodness. Sorta.

Gloomy, rainy Sundays seem to stir up all kinds of sneaky devils and hungry ghosts in the guise of food nostalgia. I dreamed up my post about Zucchini Gratin on a Sunday, stirring up a bread crumbed casserole of desire fraught with secret emotions and sticky attachments. Food as familial comfort. Food evoking a warm embrace. Food as a way to connect our twenty-one grams of soul to this earth. The ground of being.And I think I know why I'm tip toeing in the garden of nostalgia lately.The world seems bent on disruption and displacement. Technology has forever altered the Old School way of doing business, looking up recipes, sharing a joke, researching a project, assembling an automobile, heating a home, influencing an audience, pitching to consumers, gathering the latest news. The Genie is out of the bottle. And new rules apply.But there are a few things that I stick by. In my sixth decade I still side with Hope. And Progress. And Equal Love, Equal Pay, freedom of speech. I see all my fellow humans as co-travelers on this short ride of Life. My Sisters, and Brothers. We're all in this together.And so I offer treats. Old school style. Dated, maybe. But tasty? Yep.

A 1950's baby boomer favorite- Rice Krispie Treats. Which, Dear Reader, I am sorry to tell you, I have absolutely no recollection of ever eating. I have wracked my cranium and come up with nada. No bars of snap, crackle, pop. Apparently my mother was not a Rice Krispie fan. Which may explain my deep abiding love for peanut butter toast.So why the sudden nostalgia for this gimmicky no-bake treat? I have no idea. But I became a woman obsessed. I absolutely, positively had to make them.Then I read the recipe.Butter. Marshmallows. My heart sank a little. (Dairy. Gelatin. Corn syrup. Not on my Love List.) My dream of a crispy rice treat was going to need more than just a gluten-free version of Rice Krispies. It was going to need a little postmodern reinvention. A little vegan love. A little boost in the wholesome aspect. A little less spun corn syrup fakery and little more genuine yummiosity.

So forgive me if I've tinkered with your mini-marshmallow dreams, Darling. But there's no corn or animal byproducts binding these delectable morsels of light and crispy rice goodness. Nope. You'll just have to read the recipe to discover my secret caramel stick-to-it-ness.

Ingredients:1 1/4 cups gluten-free organic brown rice syrup, agave, or honey3/4 cup organic almond butter2 tablespoons organic coconut oil2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract1/2 teaspoon almond extract6 cups gluten-free crispy brown rice cerealInstructions:Line a baking pan with a piece of parchment paper that extends up the long sides. Set aside.In a saucepan, heat the brown rice syrup over medium heat, and stir until it begins to bubble a bit. Remove from heat and stir in the almond butter, coconut oil, vanilla and almond extract. As you stir the mixture, it should thicken and become glossy and elastic, much like caramel taffy. Pour the crispy rice cereal into a large heat-safe mixing bowl. Carefully pour in the warm syrup mixture, and using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir to coat all the cereal.Scoop the coated cereal into the lined baking pan and spread evenly, gently smoothing out the top surface. Cover the pan with a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper.Pop the pan into the fridge to chill.When the bars have firmed to the touch, remove them from the pan, gripping the parchment edges and set them on a cutting board. Use a large sharp knife to score and cut the squares.Wrap and chill. Store in the fridge.Makes 24 squares.

Notes:

Read labels, darlings. Not all crispy rice cereals are gluten-free. Choose one that sports "gluten-free" on the label. And if you- like me- are not a fan of the preservative BHT added to the new Gluten-Free Rice Krispies, take heart. There are lovely crispy brown rice cereals sans the yucky additive. Check the natural cereals aisle. And buy organic. Support our organic farmers and their families.If almond butter is a no-no for you, try cashew butter. If only a seed butter will do, it will work, but most seed butters have a much stronger flavor than subtle tasting almond butter, so the change will definitely affect the overall taste. It will be more intensely nutty. Maybe add in some mini-dark chocolate chips to cut the nuttiness?

Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

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